Vicki's Blog

In this Winter of Discontent, we look forward to the hope and promise of spring. Events, both good and bad, loom in front of us and focus our attention. We predict what might or might not happen. We plan. We look forward to, or dread what's next. We prepare. We worry. We make decisions based on the probability of "what if." We attend to details based on what we think we know. All the predicting, planning, worrying, and preparation consume us and before we know it, what we've been looking forward to is upon us!

Weddings are fun events that still stress us out when we think about all the planning that must go into the wedding to make it nice, or elegant, or fun. That's the key here--- what we want the end result to look like. Fathers always say they will just pay for the couple to elope. Mothers tend to think otherwise.

Spring is just around the corner and I can't wait! For nearly two years we have been anticipating our son's wedding. It is almost upon us. In fact, 90 days from now, this celebration will be here! For the first year after their engagement, we would think of things to do and say to ourselves, "we've got plenty of time." Then is was 6 months, and the urgency began to heighten. Time is always an issue, especially when the planners and participants are working or going to school full time. I am a planner, and I love to have the details ironed out long in advance so I can get it done with some room for error. My son has some of my planning obsessions in terms of making lists, so he is an active participant in the process. Even those who say they aren't planners become planners or are at least stressed by the plans, so planning impacts everyone involved. I am just the mother of the groom.... you know, wear beige and stay out of the way. I don't wear beige well, but I'm trying to offer my help and then get back out of the way.

As stressed as I might be, it is nothing compared to mothers of the bride (I've played that role too). My friend and colleague, who not only works full time in the central office of a fairly large (for Kansas) school district, just got done planning 2 conferences, in addition to 2 weddings to plan AND PAY FOR, in the next few months. One is a destination wedding, at a destination none of them have never been to in person. I feel my stress rising just thinking about that one! The other wedding occurs just as her job ramps up for the transition to a new school year and she takes over as the president of a state educational organization. Gulp! But I have no doubt she will pull both of these events off and live to tell about it (and I'll be waiting to hear all the stories!). I'm sure there will be glitches because one can never anticipate everything, but I do hope she can actually enjoy each day as a reward for all her hard work in the planning and preparation.

But weddings aren't the only thing we plan for. This has been the most challenging winter that much of the country has seen in years, maybe ever! It has truly been a Winter of Our Discontent. The weather forecasters are giving it their best shot at predicting where the "bullseye" will be in terms of snow fall. It affects cities, road crews, businesses, and individuals. If they are off by even 25 miles, decisions to cancel school or tell people to stay off the road are suddenly, and publicly second-guessed. They try to plan for what to do after the storm has blown through. The biggest challenge for Boston, and many other New England cities, is what to do with all the piles of snow. But from that, there have emerged some entrepreneurs who have come up with some creative ideas to melt and haul out snow to areas where snow isn't a problem. Some have said dump it in the harbor, but there are laws preventing that... understandably so they don't pollute the water or cause ice jams for the boat traffic. There are additional challenges for buried cars that may look like a pile of snow (do we plow that?) or picking up trash. We try to plan, but sometimes, we can't control what we can't control and then we drop into defense and damage control.

The last 2 weekends, "our neck of the woods" has had winter weather predictions that caused us to cancel plans and make sure we got to the grocery store to stock up - just in case. Last weekend's predictions turned out to be nothing more than a little sleet. No problems and no cause for concern, yet we were planning for a "weekend of discontent." This weekend the forecasts began with 10 inch amounts of snow (I know - nothing compared to the Northeast - but our first real big snow of the season), and now they are already reducing those to 3-6 inch amounts. Still some cause for concern, but hardly the wallop we were expecting.... unless the bullseye is off by 50 miles or so or the temperature varies a couple of degrees. So we plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Probably the bigger issue in Kansas right now is the wallop that education is facing in our state. In this "Winter of Kansas Discontent," the attack on educators personally (what we teach, how we teach, and how we get paid, including pensions), public schools in general, and even the programs like Parents as Teachers, that support early readiness and interventions, is unprecedented. Honestly, we never thought it would sink to this level of animosity. We try to inform legislators of our opinions but some don't seem to care. We are genuinely worried about the ability of our state to educate our students and keep the best and brightest not only in education, but in our state to keep us going into the future. Right now schools are preparing for the worst, crunching numbers and squeezing budgets, considering how new laws that can criminalize teachers who use material "not suitable for minors" (how does one really define that broad spectrum?) will impact curriculum and instruction, and figuring how to maintain local control when the legislature that has campaigned to create environments for local control are taking it all away.

In Kansas, we are now Boston. We have planned, predicted, and prepared, and now we wait for the storm to blow through so we can proceed to damage control. Is that any way to educate our students and prepare for our future? Like the Northeastern winter, we will hope that this storm is one of those that only happens once in a life time, but as the special interest money continues to control the attitudes and votes of legislators, I am afraid that this storm could come back year after year, causing a serious erosion to the quality of our education and the security of our future. But we fight on, keeping the promise of the future as our motivation for pushing back and our commitment to do what's right.

What I am sincerely hoping for is that when the storm finally passes, and I am confident that it will, there will be a rainbow for us to see and realize that skies really are blue. Until then, I will keep watching the weather both on the horizon and the political fronts and dealing with whatever falls as a result.... hoping that spring will soon emerge so we can escape the winter of our discontent and most of all, I can enjoy this wonderful wedding that is almost upon us!

It's an interesting time to live in Kansas to say the least. Mostly it's just hard to swallow all the negativity and general disregard and/or respect for differing points of view. Change is inevitable with any new set of leaders, but there are effective ways of implementing and sustaining change and then there are the ways of bullies and power-seeking dictators.

Some with power and influence decide to lead the horse (us) to the water promising great miracles if we drink this water. When the horse has questions about what's in the water or what will happen if the water dries up, there are assurances that won't happen but not real answers. So instead of working with the horse to make them want to drink, or ensure the water is safe to drink, they force the horse into the water against it's better judgment, going deeper and deeper until the horse feels like it is drowning! When the horse, and even some of the ones who lead him there, begin to complain that this water wasn't what was promised, they throw them under the bus in an attempt to drown out their complaints and put a new spin on the initial claims.

I mix my metaphors intentionally so that you can understand the complexity of the issues that face our great state of Kansas. We have long fought the stigma of the Wild, Wild, West (think Dodge City and Gunsmoke days), flat lands with nothing of value, and the Wizard of Oz. For many, Kansas is just a place to pass through when travelling on I-70. But Kansas is a beautiful state with many wonderful people, a great place to live and raise your kids, and until recently could boast of some of the best education in the nation. But those days are quickly fading, although the Wild, Wild West image may be coming back.

This week we have seen a new round of attacks on farmers, led by legislators who live in the city and want to make taxes on property "fair." They don't understand (evidently) how this will affect all consumers as the "trickle down" economics that they so believe in will cause the astronomical property tax hikes the give to farmers to "trickle down" to every one of us in the form of higher food prices. The other part of their argument is that this will make the taxes more "fair." Really? I think their idea of "fair" and my idea are very different.

What is fair about the tax cuts that were put into law in the past couple of years that allowed the most wealthy in our state to pay less taxes? Or that small businesses (I'm one of those) pay nothing which provided big businesses with a loop hole to create LLCs (limited liability corporations) for some of their holdings so they don't have to pay taxes either? What is fair about using block grants to fund schools under the guise of local control when in reality the needs and resources of school districts throughout the state are far from equal? Fair does not mean equal. "Fair" is used as a selling point, but when we look more closely, fair is not really fair at all.

We have "leadership" in our state that are making changes that hurt more than help as they fail to consider the domino effect of their actions. They are listening to someone but not the constituents they were elected to serve.

There are many change modelsout there that we could learn from to understand how to best implement any change in any situation or organization. While they differ somewhat in the details, they all agree that change is best implemented when we know and explain why the change is needed, consider the concerns and needs of those who will implement or be affected by the changes, what end goal is desired, and provide support through the implementation process. Change models also suggest that people work together, not against each other or in spite of others. Relationships matter.

It is interesting that the backbone of our great state of Kansas, agriculture and education, are the prime targets this legislative season. Suddenly these are the groups we blame for all our woes? What would we do without those who provide us food and teach our children to become the workers and leaders of our future? How many of us have walked in their shoes? Farmers work long hours and don't get a "snow day." Their success is often dependent on things they can't control, like the weather, the price of fuel, and the selling price of crops following the harvest.

Educators teach every child, every day. Their success is also based on many things they can't control, like the home environment, previous experiences, or the levels of intelligence of each child and the resources (or lack of resources) they have to work with in their schools. We try to understand and provide support for the student learning needs, emotional needs, and contain their outbursts. But we take them all, love them, teach them, let them ask questions so they can learn more, offer guidance, feed them, and send them home. But the job doesn't end there. Teachers don't work 6 hours a day and have summers off. They grade papers, plan for instruction, make revisions to existing plans, look for new resources and instructional strategies so they can reach every student, worry about struggling students, and find time to do their own learning so they are always on the top of their game.

Farmers and teachers chose this profession because of the passion they feel for the land and for our children, both of which impact the future of every Kansan. That doesn't mean they deserve to be treated in ways that make them feel like they are being attacked or aren't important to who we are as a state and a nation by people who really have no other view point or expertise than that of a person who once attended school or as a consumer of the agricultural products farmers provide.

While I abhor the approach that has been taken in terms of making changes in our state, I don't want to imply that considering new or different ideas and perspectives isn't valuable. If we aren't tying to improve every day, then we will become stagnant whether we are educators, farmers, parents, or policemen. But we have to do this in a civilized conversation that moves us to a better place after listening to the ideas and perspectives of stakeholders.

If our goal is to win the gold medal in sprinting, we can't accomplish that in one year. Despite the fact it's a short race, it takes a great deal of training, tweaking, and practice to make that happen. Kansas has failed to account for the fact that if the goal is to streamline spending and make government smaller, it is a marathon in terms of planning and implementation, not a sprint, and can't be accomplished with one vote or stroke of the pen without pulling a muscle or doing unnecessary harm. It is ironic however, that in their efforts to reduce government spending, they are increasing the role of government by being much more controlling and intrusive into the everyday lives of the people and groups they say they are out to help.

The lessons for all of us are that change must occur if we are to keep improving, but it must be done in a way that brings people along and not drown them in the water they are hesitant to drink. Listen to the voices of the stakeholders not the money. Funny that as the governor and the legislature look to cut the spending of education and tax the land of the farmers more, they are taking more money for their own political campaigns. They keep telling us that money doesn't make schools better. They say the farmers will benefit from higher taxes on land because it will increase benefits in other places. Kind of an interesting spin. I do believe that in reality money can't buy happiness but it is necessary for many things, and in this case... it's buying a lot of misery.

So when you lead that horse to the water....don't forget to take the time to make them want to drink, listen to the concerns of the horse before they drink, and then ensure the water is truly safe to drink based on all the facts, then you won't need to throw that horse or anyone else under the bus.

Dr Seuss's book, "Oh the Place You'll Go" is a reminder of the possibilities that exist in life. We often hear excerpts read at graduations and we smile at the simplicity of his words, and marvel at their profound implications. But the words he shared also give us a glimpse into the way the world of education works now for our kids. And to play off of what the Wizard told Dorothy in another equally famous movie/book: "You're not just in Kansas any more!"

You may hear the term 21st Century Skills and wonder what that really includes. When the term first came to be (shortly before the turn of the 21st Century) we tended to equate it with the use of technology. And while that is certainly a part of it, it also entails the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required in post-secondary education and in today's work place which relies less on routine and more on collaboration and innovation. The list is comprehensive and what we in education would consider "cross-curricular" which simply means it can and should be found in any subject. 21st Century Skills consist of of skills like problem solving, research, analysis, creativity and innovation. But it also addresses behaviors like perseverance, leadership, teamwork, self-direction and self-discipline. The ability to clearly communicate in a variety of formats is also a key ingredient for the successful 21st Century Learner. Finally it addresses the need for civic mindedness, financial and global awareness, ethical behavior, and personal responsibility. (Click here for more information.) Who wouldn't want their son or daughter to grow up to be proficient in many or all of these skills and abilities? "Oh the places you'll go!"

One can't help but notice that the world has changed dramatically in the last 50 years, so it stands to reason we must adjust the educational experiences we provide for students as we prepare them to be successful adults. One very obvious example is that you are reading this blog on the Internet. We were just beginning to hear about Internet 20 years ago (think about the Today show clipthat opens the BMW Superbowl commercial with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel) let alone blogging. Yet here we are. We have email account(s), Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, apps for our phones, and a whole lot more ways to connect with anyone around the world. We may not be able to go visit every place in the world, but every place can come to us. "Dorothy, we aren't just in Kansas any more."

This past week during their newscast, KWCH Channel 12 out of Wichita, Kansas featured the project based learning experience that was occurring in the sixth grade at Andover (KS) Middle School. This project utilized a wide variety of skills from math, language arts, history, geography, science, and technology. They connected with their class pen pals in Nairobi, Kenya via Skype (instead of that pack of letters that we would have sent back in my day that would have taken 2 weeks to arrive) ready to have a nice visit when they found out about the broken water pipes and the subsequent issues that accompany water problems in Kenya. That encounter produced a class project to raise awareness and provide some solutions for the water problems experienced half a world away. Listen to the excitement of the Andover 6th grade students as they talk about what they learned and the importance of their work in the videoshared by Channel 12. "Oh the places you'll go!"

This Andover example is the kind of learning I would like to see all kids experience on a regular basis. It is full of 21st Century Skills where students are asked to apply what they know rather than just memorize for a test. Think back to your best learning experience. Or if you are a teacher, think about the best lesson you ever taught. ........... Said. No. One. Ever: "It was a worksheet, 60 minute lecture, or a chapter test" More than likely you identified some type of project or active learning session. My Psychology classes loved the Marriage Unit, the Personality Box, Juggling to demonstrate how learning occurs, and creating neurons with the elementary PE equipment. They may have enjoyed the discussions or the stories I told during those "lecture days" but in reality when they were "doing" the learning, it was more memorable and long-lasting because they were experiencing the learning not having it done to them.

There is some controversy concerning the idea of moving to a classroom or school totally immersed in 21st Century Learning. Some of the people that question this change in instruction focus on the idea that the "basics" might be lost when instruction includes so much activity. In my graduate Curriculum Design Course that I teach, we talk about being hands on and minds on. This means that the activity must be purposeful and lead to achieving the learning goal. If we are just "being active to be active," then potentially that is a waste of everyone's time. Therefore, teaching 21st Century Skills requires that teachers learn to be facilitators of learning instead of the sage on the stage. In addition, teachers have to experience 21st Century Skills in their own learning and practice so they can find balance and purpose as they guide their students along that journey.

We learned to ride our bike by riding it, falling off, and getting back on to try again. When we fail, we learn. We ask for help. We talk to our friends and watch how they ride a bike. We figure out what we did wrong. We get a new idea. We try again. These are the benefits of project based learning when that experience includes the 21st Century Skills that are needed in adult life.

As the budget crisis in Kansas worsens with each political pot shot and bill that further restricts the autonomy and financial backing that schools require to operate effectively, remember school isn't, nor should it be, the way we remember it. After all, we have changed with the times, and we must encourage and allow schools and educators to do the same. Probably the most important 21st Century Skills we can use today are perseverance and effectivecommunication as we demonstrate our civic and ethical responsibilities to educate our youth. Let's encourage our young people to "get out of Kansas" during their learning- not literally, but to see and experience what's out there, so we can use their knowledge and skills right here IN Kansas and see the "Places They'll Go!"